Jack Reacher reads an ad in a newspaper left on a bus and knows it was meant for him in "Personal," Lee Child's latest thriller to feature his larger-than-life hero.

The ad specifies that he call a particular individual. Less than an hour after he contacts military man Rick Shoemaker, Reacher is on a flight to an unknown destination.

An assassination attempt on the president of France has failed, thanks to bulletproof glass. The shot came from an extremely long distance, and only a few people in the world could successfully make the shot. The military wants Reacher's opinion on likely suspects, and he can think of only one person: John Kott. Reacher arrested him 15 years ago for murder and he's still in jail, or so Reacher believed. When he learns that Kott is out of prison — and has a personal vendetta against him — Reacher reluctantly agrees to help. Is Kott the sniper who is responsible for the attempt on the French president's life? Or is something even more sinister at work?

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Reacher gets to explore Europe this time around, and the fish-out-of-water scenario mixed with the fear of cross hairs focused on him makes for an intriguing and different story from Child.

The final confrontation between Reacher and Kott is a bit of a letdown after an amazing buildup. Still, Child is the best thriller writer in the business, and "Personal" is sure to be on the best-seller lists.

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